The present invention relates to food containers or cabinets in which the air is conditioned to permit storage of prepared foods in the cabinet until the foods are ready to be served or eaten.
Food cabinets of this type are typically heated or heated and humidified, with the air in the cabinets being circulated to maintain a consistency in the environment within the food container.
It is known to provide food cabinets in which heating elements are used for heating the air and heating water to increase the temperature and humidity within the cabinet. Typically in North America such cabinets are provided with a standard 110-120 V power connection so that they can be connected to a regular wall socket power supply in a restaurant, dining hall, cafeteria, or similar location. Usually such power supplies are protected by 15 or 20 amp circuit breakers. In typical cabinets the heating elements are capable of being operated simultaneously, which limits the total wattage of the heating elements to 2000 W. Since the heating elements may operate simultaneously, typically each of the heating elements is limited to a size of 1000 W.
Food cabinets that provide heat and humidity include controls that accept inputs from temperature sensors and humidity sensors in order to operate the heating elements and air blowers to heat, humidify and move the air within the cabinet to achieve a desired temperature and humidity as selected by a user of the equipment. Such controls are typically preset at the factory with control software which cannot be modified or updated in the field, without removal and replacement of hardware components, such as integrated circuits and memory modules, which requires a qualified service technician.
All food cabinets include a power cord connection to provide electrical power to the various components in the food cabinet. Typically the power cord exits from the cabinet though a rear wall or a side wall of the cabinet. Oftentimes the cabinets are mobile and they may be moved into different locations in a room. Other times the cabinets are stationary, however they may be placed in varying locations relative to walls and power outlets. With the power cord connection being located at a fixed location on the cabinet, the cord is sometimes interfering with the placement of the cabinet against a wall or in a corner since the protrusion of the cord from the wall of the cabinet prevents the cabinet from being pressed flush up against the wall.